To learn more click here to visit the Minas Mentors website
Minas Mentors is a community outreach program that provides low-income university students in Minas Gerais with mentoring and professional skills-building support to aid them in the transition from university to the workforce. Minas Mentors is part of Minas International’s sustainable community development program - Minas Care.
Minas Mentors is the first program of its kind in Minas Gerais and is synergistic with Brazil’s commitment to bettering education and employers’ desire for a more prepared and diverse workforce. Minas Mentors aims to make a significant contribution in advancing professional opportunities for low-income university students. Join us in helping to build a brighter future for those less fortunate and a stronger tomorrow for Brazil.
Our Mission
To help low-income students transition from university to the work environment through mentoring relationships with experienced professionals and career development workshops.
What is mentoring?
Mentoring has many definitions, much like the one below. Minas Mentors views the role of its mentors as a means to better prepare the students for their eventual careers through sharing experience, knowledge and support, customized to the goals and needs of the student.
‘A one-to-one, non-judgemental relationship in which an individual mentor voluntarily gives time to support and encourage another.This relationship is typically developed at a time of transition in the mentee’s life, and lasts for a significant and sustained period of time’. (Home Office, Active Community Unit, 2001)
What mentoring is NOT
- A vehicle to search for jobs
- Career coaching service
- A form of counselling on personal issues
Why Minas Mentors?
Students growing up in low-income communities often do not have the same level of access to educational opportunities as those from wealthier communities. As a result, many do not go on to university. For those who do pursue higher education, their socio-economic background often puts them at a disadvantage in terms of making and keeping the strategic social networks that can be a necessary factor in starting and advancing their professional careers.
Minas Mentors strives to provide a more solid footing to these students by providing them with guidance from an experienced mentor who can share insights into their industry and the world of work ahead of them.
Objectives
- Help build self-esteem and confidence enhancing employability and career success.
- Give insight and exposure into chosen field and to real-life work environments.
- Assist in setting and working toward career goals.
- Enable the development of strategic networks to aid in career building.
Implementation
Minas Mentors will begin with an 8-month pilot in Belo Horizonte, serving a small group (less than 15) of undergraduate students (final or second to last year). Students engage in monthly mentoring sessions with established professionals in their field of study. Mentoring sessions and workshops focus on career goal-setting and planning, networking, interview preparation, and professional profile development.
Costs
The funds to operate the program come from corporate and individual sponsors in the form of monetary and in-kind donations. All monies go directly to cover the costs of transportation for mentees, workshops, mentor/mentee orientations and opening and closing events. The program has been developed and is operated entirely by volunteers. To learn more about how you can support Minas Mentors click here.
